Agbegnenou took her seventh gold at Judo Paris Grand Slam 2024. IJF

Clarisse Agbegnenou continued her dominance in the women's 63 kg weight category, once again demonstrating her ambitions in front of her home crowd at the Judo Paris Grand Slam 2024.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist and six-time world champion had two close fights on the second day of the tournament. In the second round, Agbegnenou faced former world champion Megumi Horikawa of Japan in an epic 12-minute battle (4+8 golden points). Her semi-final bout against Joanne Van Lieshout of the Netherlands was also decided on golden points. 

In the final, Agbegnenou faced Croatia's Katarina Kristo, and once again she came out on top, scoring a waza-ari in the second minute. It was her seventh win at the Paris Grand Slam tournament. 

Britain's Lucy Renshall, who won the Portugal Grand Prix a week ago, finished third in Paris after defeating Van Lieshout in the bronze medal bout with a golden score. The other bronze medal went to Mongolia's Gankhaich Bold.

Final bout of the men's 81 kg between Matthias Casse (in white) and Zelim Tckaev. IJF
Final bout of the men's 81 kg between Matthias Casse (in white) and Zelim Tckaev. IJF

France was close to its second gold medal of the day, but Marie Eve Gahie failed to win her final bout in the women's 70 kg. Miriam Germany's Miriam Butkereit, who was third in Portugal, reached the final with an upset victory over two-time World champion and Portugal Grand Prix winner Barbara Matic of Croatia. In the final, bout Butkereit caught her opponent on the counter-attack and won by ippon. Matic and France's Margaux Pinot took the bronze medals.

Japan also had a one gold medal on the second day of competition. Tatsuki Ishihara was the best in the men's 73 kg weight category. He defeated Georgia's Giorgi Chikhelidze in the final bout. Kosovo's Akil Ghakova and Uzbekistan's Shakhram Akhadov took the third place.

Belgium's Matthias Casse was unstoppable in the men's 81 kg weight category. He sent into the final with confidence and defeated Azerbaijan's Zelim Tckaev in the final bout with a golden score. Canada's François Gauthier Drapeau and Individual Neutral Athlete Timur Arbuzov won their bouts for the bronze medal.